Colleagues,

Here's a question for our guests, and for anyone in this discussion  
who may work with a prisoner community re-entry program:

In "Locked Up and Locked Out"  a community re-entry program in  
Massachusetts is described as follows:

"Re-entry projects around the country have been similar, or at least  
somewhat similar, to the Offender Re-entry Program (ORP) in Suffolk  
County, Massachu-
setts. The lead educational agency is Boston’s Bunker Hill Community  
College. The program is detailed in a case study found in a report of  
the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).37 ORP provides soon-to-be- 
released inmates with an intensive 6-hour-a-day course of study over  
a six-week period. After release, the inmates continue to receive  
support from caseworkers and mentors for a minimum of six months —  
and many choose to continue beyond this six-month period. Drawing on  
different community resources and agencies, the program includes:
• education during the final six weeks of prison provided by Bunker  
Hill Community College
• job assistance at the one-stop career center called Workplace
• case management provided by Community Resources for Justice
• mentoring support from the faith-based Ella J. Baker House"

How prevalent are programs such as the ORP? Do they reduce  
recidivism? What are the key ingredients of success?

David J. Rosen
Special Topics Discussion Moderator
djrosen at comcast.net